15 February 2016

5 Takeaways from Alt Summit

Whew, I am finally ready to share my thoughts on Alt Summit with you! Have you been curious?! Alt was everything I hoped it would be and more. I know, I know, that's a total cliche, but it's so true. There are tons of recaps out there including mine over at Annette Joseph Style, so I wanted to do something a little bit different on PPD. Instead of recapping every little piece of Alt, I thought I would explain my 5 takeaways from Alt Summit along with why I think you should definitely book your ticket to the conference next year.

My 5 Takeaways from Alt Summit

1. Alt is first and foremost a community. In a world where the words "blogging community" are about as clear as a wooden door, I truly felt as though I found a community at Alt. Everyone at the conference was so genuine, so humble, and so nice. It was truly unreal. I had conversations with bloggers who have hundreds of thousands of followers who never uttered a peep about their blog infamy. I met bloggers of blogs I have been reading since I was 22 who could not have been more interested in me - little old me. In the weeks leading up to the conference, I found camaraderie in the Alt Facebook group which allowed me to get to know a few familiar faces before getting to Salt Lake City. In the weeks since the conference, I have kept in touch with the women I met through social media, and am even expecting a valentine in the mail from one awesome group of bloggers. The bottom line is, this conference is a place where women come together to support each other. Period. No caddy talking about each other behind closed doors, no competition to work with brands before someone else does, and no judgement about the number of followers everyone has. It was incredibly refreshing and uplifting to be in that environment, and it made me LOVE being a member of a blogging community.

2. Periscope and Snapchat is where it's at. Seriously, if you're not on Snapchat AND Periscope, you're going to be left behind. I know it sounds scary to add yet another platform to your repertoire (and by one, I really mean two), but you owe it to yourself to stay in the social media game. There are so many things that you can do with Snapchat and Periscope, too! I am so excited to incorporate Periscope into my social media more; I have some stellar ideas, so stay tuned.

3. Repurpose content which means, working smarter, not harder. There is no reason that you can't use the same photos on Instagram on your blog. There is no reason that you can't take a Snapchat DIY, download the videos, and turn them into a blog post. There is no reason that you can't show the behind the scenes of an event and use them as a starting point as a recap. Think smartly about your content and use it in the best way you can, more than once!

4. Don't be scared to reach out to brands. Oh man, this is a tough one, but don't be afraid to reach out to brands. The worst that can happen is you get a no, and the best that can happen...well, that is yet to be determined! Brands don't have time to read every single blog, search every single about page, and email every single person they might want to work with. Do the hard work FOR them. It's amazing how many brands out there are dying to work with bloggers. In fact, Minted's CEO Miriam Naficy even said that one of the reasons she started Minted was how much she saw the power in bloggers. Crazy!

5. Be nice to everyone. Seriously. I know it's hard to be nice to everyone; I am not always so good at it myself, but it will definitely pay off in the end. You never know who has a connection that you might want to make, or who is having a rotten day, or who can help you out in some way, or who YOU can help in some way. Smile, be nice, and make a friend. I only knew ONE person at Alt when I landed in Salt Lake City, and I really had to push myself to introduce myself to other people (hello, my name is Nicole, and I'm an introvert moonlighting as an extrovert...). It was challenging, but not one person looked at me like I was crazy. Instead, I made new friends!

Finally, and technically takeaway number 6, plan to go to Alt next year if for nothing else than the experience of getting out of your comfort zone, meeting new friends, and enjoying the heck out of the scenery. Next year's event is in Palm Springs at the Saguaro (an Instagram worthy hotel if I ever saw one). No word on when it will be happening, but I know I'll be there. Any roommate takers? :)

Feel free to ask me any questions at all; I'm happy to give you all my scoop!